Whenever the topic of health and fitness is mentioned, stress and anxiety are two common issues that always come up. This is mainly attributed to the immense negative effects the two can have on general wellness in human beings. Anxiety and stress are regarded as both physical and emotional responses to perceived threats and dangers which are not always existent. However, no one, including you, deserves to go through the rough times of stressing over and getting anxious about things you most likely have little or no control over.
If this describes your situation, relax. Here are the 10 most effective de-stressing tips and strategies that will help you get back to your happy ways, and in turn enhance your overall health and fitness.
1. Eat Right
Sometimes when anxiety and stress kick in, it is likely that you’ll experience low appetite levels or abnormally extreme cravings for certain foods. However, this is a time to maintain your calm and seek better foods that benefit your body more. As such, eat foods rich in B vitamins, healthy whole grain carbs, and omega-3 oils. Whole grain carbs are particularly vital since they help to regulate your levels of serotonin. This is the hormone responsible for helping you remain calm and give you the “feel-good” moods. Avoid eating excessive amounts of sugary foods as well as processed foods. Additionally, limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol and possibly do away with your smoking habit (if any).
2. Practice Meditation
You probably have heard about the benefits of meditation before especially regarding how it can help you relax your body. Several studies have shown that meditation can have significant positive effects on stress alleviation as well as lightening up the moods. When meditating, you’re able to control the functioning of your brain by figuring out how it generates the anxiety-provoking thoughts.
3. Get Sufficient Sleep
This may perhaps sound obvious, but the fact is having little or inconsistent sleep can have grave consequences on your overall health and fitness. Strive to enjoy between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. As such, get rid of all disturbances and elements that potentially interferes with your sleep or sleeping environment.
4. Visualize Positive Things
This is a powerful tool that works nearly every time especially when you’re confronted with anxious thoughts or stressors. During such times, you can try visualizing yourself taking control of the situation and handling it with clarity, calm and ease. Avoid giving attention to any other thought and happening around you at this time. Give yourself time to focus fully on the thoughts of you conquering the storm and achieving success on the issue at hand. This technique is referred to as guided visualization or imagery and has been proven to significantly lower stress and anxiety levels.
5. Get Outdoors and Meet People
Stress and anxiety are extensively linked to boredom and low or lack of social life. This means giving yourself a few hours or days off from that busy workplace or lonely office will likely alleviate the pilling stress and anxiety. Make this time your perfect opportunity to disconnect from your daily routines which probably includes lengthy phone calls, busy email conversations, long hours in front of screens, etc. Go out and meet new people, friends and family and even engage in social activities together such as having a good play or story time with them. By the end of your recess, you’ll possibly notice a significant change in your morale and motivation to complete tasks that hitherto appeared taxing or even undoable.
6. Exercise
Exercise is indisputably one of the best ways to de-stress yourself while also improving your health and fitness. A good exercising session leaves you feeling fantastic and psyched up which is good for de-cluttering your brain and stimulating the “feel good” hormone in your body. Some of the simplest yet effective exercises to involve yourself in include jogging, riding a bicycle, walking and even dancing. Conduct these activities at least thrice a week with each session lasting not less than 30 minutes. As such, seek to achieve consistency rather than having perfect workouts or exercises. Be sure to take part in activities that you deem fun and enjoyable since you're more likely to do them for longer and more consistently.
7. Share Disturbing Issues With a Trusted Friend or Family Member
This is perhaps a difficult decision to take especially in today’s society where stress and anxiety are considered to be signs of weakness. However, there will always be that one or two people in your life whom you probably count on in times of need. It could be your parent, sibling or even a colleague. By acknowledging that the issue at hand is beyond your comprehension and control, it is recommended that you share it with that trusted individual who despite not necessarily helping you physically, may stand by you and show you the much-needed care and concern.
8. Learn to Identify What Triggers Your Stress
This is a crucial step in alleviating stress where you’re required to note down all the factors and situations that you often find yourself relating to your stress and anxiety. Besides, try to identify the pattern with which your stress and anxiety follow which can be equally important in helping you understand what to manage or control in your life.
9. Be Grateful For What you Already Have
Several studies have indicated that expressing gratitude is one of the effective ways to lower stress and anxiety, especially when done while calm. You can cultivate this mindset of appreciating what you have in life by starting a gratitude journal on which you’ll write down all your achievements and life positives.
10. Plan Ahead of Time
Planning your day well in advance is another surefire way of fighting anxious thoughts and increasing your productivity. This may include creating a pattern of doing your things especially the routine activities such as laying out your clothes and stuff the night before, preparing lunch ahead of time, etc. This helps to limit cases of having to complete these tasks under pressure which is a recipe of stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
Ideally, your mindset is not wired to naturally produce stress and anxiety. However, you’re human and thus has to acknowledge that it’s inevitable to worry about things and be anxious about stressful situations once they appear. Nevertheless, do not allow these conditions drive you to your edge. Never give up trying to control negative feelings about undesirable things that occur in your life. Above all, put into practice the valuable tips outlined in this post and take full control of your stress and anxiety. This will ultimately enhance your overall health and fitness which translates to a happier and more fulfilling life.
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